Memo: NSEA Supports ACR 7

For decades, Nevada has ranked near the bottom of states in education funding and quality. In the 2021 Quality Counts report from Education Week, Nevada dropped to 49th in School Finance and tied for 49th in their overall “Chance for Success” index. And we all know Nevada has the largest class sizes in the county, a direct result of chronic underfunding.

In 2019, the Legislature created the Commission on School Funding and tasked the Commission with studying what it would take for Nevada to reach optimal funding in 10 years. Accounting for “historic” increases to K12 funding recommended in the Governor’s budget, Nevada will still need to raise an additional $2.6B/year to reach optimal education funding by FY33.

In response to the Governor’s budget recommendation, NSEA has been asking, “Now what?” In future fiscal years, Nevada is unlikely to have record revenues we’ve seen in recent years. This is why it is still necessary to pursue new revenue streams for public education and other critical public services. Last year, NSEA surveyed nearly 700 educators across the state asking them to rank 9 possible proposals to raise revenue for public education. A wealth tax was by far the most popular of the proposals with a weighted average of 4.35 out of 5. Increasing the sales tax, on the other hand, received the lowest rating of 2.04. Educators, like most Nevadans, are more likely to support more progressive revenue proposals.

We strongly encourage the Nevada Legislature to join other states pursuing a wealth tax to make sure those with the most resources share equitably to fund governmental services.